The Big Bang Theory 10/29/2007 (S01E06) "The Middle Earth Paradigm"

[dswallow]

I enjoyed the pilot, but was a little skeptical of how well they could carry on for an entire season but I really think they've been doing a wonderful job. Everyone's been experiencing growth and it appears there's a lot more to the series than just a single joke about geeks.

And that theme song is really just awesome.

[Hersheytx]

I am glad I kept with this show. It surprises me every week how much I am enjoying it. I am actually watching it live instead of recording it first.
The support characters are what is making this show work. Each is firmly giving performances that rival the leads. Which is why I am hooked.
Please don't let them cancel this show like THE CLASS. I can't take it!

[jeepair]

Loved the Flashes.... especially when they could have all walked infront of each other. lol

[LifeIsABeach]

Love the show so far. Afraid they are approaching the "jump the shark" moment of getting Leonard and the hot girl together. Hopefully they will keep the show as it is now.

[TiVo'Brien]

The confrontation between Leonard and Penny's ex-boyfriend was very well written. That was a classic geek vs. jock confrontation. The writers got right to the heart of how the dominant alpha male uses physical intimidation to prevail. I felt it could have been me in Leonard's position expressing my own disdain for knuckle dragging primates.

[WinBear]

I guess I'm a bad geek. I know what the doppler effect is and how it works with sound and color, but I'm really confused how Sheldon's costume was supposed to represent that scientific phenomenon.

The 4 Flash costumes were brilliant, but then the replacement costumes were just kind of lame.

I loved the closing scene with Koothrappali being such a great listener.

And then there's the vanity card. I've been reading them the last few weeks and they are always worth pausing for, especially in high-definition.

[TiVo'Brien]

I guess I'm a bad geek. I know what the doppler effect is and how it works with sound and color, but I'm really confused how Sheldon's costume was supposed to represent that scientific phenomenon...........
Don't the leading waves compress as shown on his costume?

[betts4]

I loved the 4 flashes and the line of them all walking behind each other would have been great, wish they had tried once going around the couch and then gave up. Would have been neat to see.
And Sheldon's costume - doppler effect is just something some of my friends would have done. I loved that he had to explain it because geek that I am, I usually have some costume that is great in my mind but that I have to explain to the mundanes.
This is my first time watching it, but not my last.

[IJustLikeTivo]

I guess I'm a bad geek. I know what the doppler effect is and how it works with sound and color, but I'm really confused how Sheldon's costume was supposed to represent that scientific phenomenon.

The 4 Flash costumes were brilliant, but then the replacement costumes were just kind of lame.

I loved the closing scene with Koothrappali being such a great listener.

And then there's the vanity card. I've been reading them the last few weeks and they are always worth pausing for, especially in high-definition.

The doppler was odd since they had it going both ways towards the center.

IRL, the waveform would get shorter in one direction then longer , they were using both heading toward the center with no outbound waveform.

[Jonathan_S]

The confrontation between Leonard and Penny's ex-boyfriend was very well written. That was a classic geek vs. jock confrontation. The writers got right to the heart of how the dominant alpha male uses physical intimidation to prevail. I felt it could have been me in Leonard's position expressing my own disdain for knuckle dragging primates.I was just thinking the Leonard got lucky with his "homo hablis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_habilis) says what?" line. The jock so easily could have focused on the first half, misunderstood the insult, and just flattened Leonard.
Don't the leading waves compress as shown on his costume?Yes, but they compress towards the center and then decompress. Which is accurate enough*, but it creates a symmetrical pattern. It might have worked better if he'd just tried to show 1/2 of the doppler effect, and had all the wave just compress to one side.

*Edit to add: Oops, it isn't all that accurate, since they shouldn't really create a symmetrical pattern. See previous post.

[NJChris]

He was a zebra!

[Fish Man]

I was just thinking the Leonard got lucky with his "homo hablis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_habilis) says what?" line. The jock so easily could have focused on the first half, misunderstood the insult, and just flattened Leonard.



Even though it was totally ripped off from "Wayne's World" it was still funny.

Especially the jock's long pause before....... "What?"

Next, they'll have to get Christopher Walken to guest star so he can say, "You're trying to get me to say 'what', like I don't get it."

[NinerK]

I was just thinking the Leonard got lucky with his "homo hablis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_habilis) says what?" line. The jock so easily could have focused on the first half, misunderstood the insult, and just flattened Leonard.
Yes, but they compress towards the center and then decompress. Which is accurate enough*, but it creates a symmetrical pattern. It might have worked better if he'd just tried to show 1/2 of the doppler effect, and had all the wave just compress to one side.

*Edit to add: Oops, it isn't all that accurate, since they shouldn't really create a symmetrical pattern. See previous post.

Whoa, clicked on the link and Homo Hablis was named by.....

Mary and Louis Leakey, the people that Leonard's parents chose his middle name from.

Sorry if this was obvious to all; I had to read the link.

[dianebrat]

Love the show so far. Afraid they are approaching the "jump the shark" moment of getting Leonard and the hot girl together. Hopefully they will keep the show as it is now.
:up:

I will never forgive them if they put the 2 of them together, that's ruined more shows.

As long as they occasionally orbit each other and get the kiss, heck, I'm even not going to hold it against them if occasionally they just try and wind up in bed then step apart realizing they're in different worlds and better off as friends. (that does happen in the real world.. i can deal)

[mrmike]

Apropos of the doppler effect, we locally had a party recently where someone came as "Partly Cloudy, Showers Possible/Likely".

[Rob Helmerichs]

IRL, the waveform would get shorter in one direction then longer , they were using both heading toward the center with no outbound waveform.
The part that is closer to you has the wider wavelength, assuming he's standing facing you.

[Kamakzie]

Very funny episode!

[sieglinde]

There is the red to blue light shift which is how astronomers work out how fast stars are moving away or towards Earth. (I could have this all wrong) That is a Doppler effect. I would have made the costume colored to reflect this light effect.

[NJChris]

Does it really matter?

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/ast110_06/tsaas/Doppler_effect.jpg

[bareyb]

I wasn't so sure at first if I was going to tire of the premise rather quickly, but so far, that hasn't happened. I like the direction it's been going too. It's one of the few new sitcoms that don't pile up in folders in my Now Playing List. I always find time to tune in. It's a fun diversion and I like the "people" in it. :up:

[TonyD79]

This show is worth it for the one or two truly geek moments. Yes, the confrontation with the ex-boyfriend was good but the 4 Flash line was perfect. True geekness.

[USAFSSO]

The show has turned out to be pretty good.

This thread on the other hand has really nerded out though.

[MitchO]

About to make the thread geekier: Howard tells the boys that Raj is dressed up as the Norse God, not the comic book Thor ... but Raj had long blonde locks which, as most comic geeks know, is only specific to Marvel's Thor. The myths tell of a Thor with blazing red hair.

Sorry :p

[mattack]

This ep was by far the least funny so far, IMHO.

[mrmike]

About to make the thread geekier: Howard tells the boys that Raj is dressed up as the Norse God, not the comic book Thor ... but Raj had long blonde locks which, as most comic geeks know, is only specific to Marvel's Thor. The myths tell of a Thor with blazing red hair.

That and the winged helm were a dead give-away. I think they throw this stuff in there just to give the message boards something to talk about.

[Uncle Briggs]

This ep was by far the least funny so far, IMHO.No, not as funny as other eps.

[JYoung]

About to make the thread geekier: Howard tells the boys that Raj is dressed up as the Norse God, not the comic book Thor ... but Raj had long blonde locks which, as most comic geeks know, is only specific to Marvel's Thor. The myths tell of a Thor with blazing red hair.

Sorry :p

And the Flash constume was the Wally West version. :p

[bonscott87]

Best episode so far. But then all of them have had us laughing out loud start to finish which is pretty rare on TV noadays for us.

[WinBear]

And the Flash constume was the Wally West version. :p

I thought it was supposed to be the John Wesley Shipp (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098798/) version.

[MegaHertz67]

The show has turned out to be pretty good.

This thread on the other hand has really nerded out though.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[markbox]

best new sticom of the year. Twice a fast forwarded too far
and spoiled the opening of the next segment. When I spotted
that they were all dressed as the Flash without having seen
the sequence in realtime I thought to myself, "what? are they
all going as The Flash so they can pretend they are moving
really fast?". Then I rewound and saw it realtime and
they thought of using that as an excuse for why they were all
The Flash. Cracked me up. Love this show.

[JYoung]

I thought it was supposed to be the John Wesley Shipp (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098798/) version.

Nope.
I don't think that the Shipp version had the lightning bolts around the wrists and I know it didn't have the yellow boots.

[sieglinde]

Where is this show supposed to be taking place? They seem to work at Cal Tech but as a lifelong Californian who has been to Pasadena many times, I just don't think there are a lot of red brick buildings there.

[USAFSSO]

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Oh yes, yes it's wrong. ;)

[Steveknj]

I think the show is ok, and I mostly watch it for the parable screen at the end by the producer. While it does have some funny moments, it also has more of it's share of fall flat jokes that are made worse by the inane laugh track. I'll keep it for now as I watch HIMYM before it and my DVR has not filled up yet

[JYoung]

Where is this show supposed to be taking place? They seem to work at Cal Tech but as a lifelong Californian who has been to Pasadena many times, I just don't think there are a lot of red brick buildings there.

Haven't been to Old Town Pasadena lately?